


Grab the Money and Run

by thehornsofmischief, Waitingforloki



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, GTA V AU, Gang AU, M/M, Mavin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-07-12
Packaged: 2018-02-08 07:10:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1931454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehornsofmischief/pseuds/thehornsofmischief, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waitingforloki/pseuds/Waitingforloki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Los Santos another gang is taking power from RWBY, the most notorious gang in the city. The gang gains members fast and it is not long before the Fake AH Crew has to take action against their enemies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_3 Years Previous_

 

"One black coffee, please."

"Small, medium, or large?" The barista asked. The other man thought of the scant amount of change in his pocket and decided on a small. "Coming right up. Can I get a name?"

"Geoff."

 

Geoff stepped aside as another employee began to prepare his drink, letting the woman behind him order. She was tall, owing to the heels she was wearing, the clopping sound of her tapping foot drawing attention to her as she waited. Geoff noticed her sleeve tattoos and raised his eyebrows in appreciation.

"Good morning. What can I get you, sweetie?" The barista leaned an elbow on the counter, shooting her a flirtatious look. The motion of her foot tapping stopped, her eyebrows raised.

"Excuse you, I would like a skinny latte with extra foam."

"Got a name, sweetheart?"

"Not for you." She said with a scathing tone, a small scowl crossing her features. Geoff smiled in amusement as the barista leaned away from the woman, a disgusted look on his face.

"One skinny latte coming right up, _darling_."

At that moment, Geoff got handed his beverage, but he stayed where he was, pretending to fiddle with a stir stick as he decided to wait for the woman. Something about her attitude drew him to her, and Geoff was 90% sure it wasn't the hangover talking.

 

The woman rolled her eyes at the employee's rude behaviour and side-stepped to where Geoff was standing, tossing her hair over one shoulder. This close, he could smell the sweetness of her perfume and the distinct smell of sandalwood clinging to her clothes. He made a snap decision to talk to her.

"So..." He began, bouncing on the balls of his feet. She turned her head to look at him, an eyebrow raised in surprise at his courage.

"Yepp. So..." She shrugged her shoulders, a fake look of nonchalance on her face as she realised the tired guy holding his coffee was actually kind of cute.

"So...what _is_ your name? Or is it top secret?" Although pathetic, his attempt at flirting was actually kind of adorable, and she fought back a smile at his dorky expression.

"Griffon."

"Pretty unusual name."

"Not as unusual as Geoff." She said jokingly, seeing the name scrawled on his cup.

"Yeah, it's pretty rare, I've never met anyone else with the same name." Griffon smiled at that, and Geoff felt it was a small victory.

 

Griffon got handed her coffee, and she was about to say thanks when she saw 'darling' written on the cup, a small heart dotting the 'i'. She scowled and snatched the cup off the counter, leaving without so much as a word to the barista. Geoff stood rooted to his spot, hesitant to follow. Griffon turned around, shooting him a smile.

"Aren't you coming?"

A grin lit up his face as he rushed to catch up with her.

 _'His smile's dumb. I like him.'_ Griffon thought as she held the door open for him, laughing as he nearly spilled his coffee.


	2. She Grew Into the Queen of Hell

_Present Day_

 

The room was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the three computer screens on the desk. Gavin Free was asleep on his bed, sprawled out across the top of the sheets. Like he usually was every night. The sounds of his snores were overpowered by the rain hammering against his window for the third day in a row. The rest of his family couldn't fathom why he had returned to England, and never failed to remind him that Los Santos had 'the perfect weather' (their words, not his). Perhaps the only member of his family that didn't bother him about it was Griffon; she didn't care where he was as long as he kept in contact.

 

The incessant sound of a new message roused Gavin from his sleep, declaring that he had two new messages from a blocked email address. He sat up, squinting at the screen from where he sat. Gavin huffed out a sigh and flopped back down onto the bed, tugging a pillow over his face to block out the annoying beeps. Eventually Gavin realised that the pillow did nothing to block out the noise, so he got up to check the goddamn messages.

 

Apparently his informant finally had information to give him on the new gang that was gaining power in Los Santos. He scrolled through the details, raising his eyebrows at what he found. With only two heists and four members, Fake AH Crew had become Los Santos' most prolific gang, competing with the notorious RWBY for the top spot. Suddenly, he froze, a hysterical laugh bubbling out of him. He read the last part of the email again, hoping that he'd simply misread it. Nope, the words were still there, plain as day: _'The two founders of Fake AH Crew are Geoff and Griffon Ramsey.'_

 

Gavin had met Geoff at the wedding last year, and he'd seemed like a nice enough guy. They'd gotten along straight away, and Gavin convinced himself that Griffon would be fine from now on. Not that she needed a guy to be fine in the first place, but the English lad had hoped that Geoff would make sure she wouldn't make any stupid mistakes anymore. He let out an exasperated sigh and put his head on the desk. The one time that Gavin didn't check up on her, she'd gone out and put together a gang.

"Bloody hell, Griffon..." Gavin muttered, reaching for his phone on the side of the desk. He scrolled through his contacts and found Griffon's mobile, hitting the call button. He put the phone up to his ear and waited for it to ring. Once it did, he only had to wait two rings before she picked up,  her voice sounding way too professional and a tad too aggressive.

"Griffon Ramsey speaking. Who the hell is this?"

"It's me, Gavin. Thought you would have recognised the number."

"Oh, hey Gavin!" She said, sounding way too happy for the occasion. "Sorry about that, I've been a little busy lately."

 _'I bet you have.'_ Gavin thought, but he didn't say so. Instead, forced out a laugh.

"That's alright, I was just wondering if I could visit you guys soon. I mean it has been a while, and I could sure use some sun. The typical English weather is being...well, typical."

"Sure, that would be great. Want to come over in a couple of weeks?"

Gavin quickly looked up a list of flights to LS, scrolling through them quickly. "How does two weeks' time suit you and Geoff?" There was a brief pause, and he assumed they were talking it over. Griffon returned, sounding too chipper once again.

"Yeah, that's perfect. See you soon, Gav."

"See ya." Gavin hung up and frowned, tossing his phone onto the desk. He pulled up the email again, reading through the information on the other two members of Fake AH Crew.

 

It only had the basics. Name, age, profession and affiliation. The first one to be hired was Jack Patillo, age 25. Looking at his statistics, he must have been hired for his experience and skill with transportation and vehicles. Gavin was impressed; the guy could drive practically anything. He used to be part of a low key gang but left because of monetary issues, and Fake AH Crew picked him back up a year and a half ago. Knowing how wealthy Griffon's parents were, Gavin wasn't surprised Pattillo took up the deal.

Overall, Gavin determined him trustworthy, and moved on to the last member.

At 20 years old, Ray Narvaez Jr. was the youngest member of the gang, but in no way disposable. His talent in weaponry was only exceeded by his talent in sniping. The only blemish in his record (according to Gavin) was that he had previously worked for RWBY, which concerned Gavin until he read that the gang had not treated him with enough respect and had gradually lowered his pay grade over the year he had worked for them. Gavin gathered that Griffon had offered him a place in her gang out of sympathy at first, but then she'd realised his full potential and gave him the money and respect he deserved.

His informant had written that he couldn't gather more information, as the two men had cleared their track records pretty well, but apparently not well enough.

 

Gavin sat back in his chair, running his hand through his hair in thought. He'd have to check up on them himself in two weeks' time. Sitting up, he quickly bought his ticket with renewed motivation, buying a first class ticket. Then, he bought the parts he'd need to make the cameras and microphones he'd install at the base of operations for Fake AH Crew, and the trackers he'd put on the members' cars. He chose express delivery, as he wanted them to be ready and prepared as soon as possible.

He had work to do.

 

#

 

After Gavin hung up, Griffon breathed a sigh of relief, watching as Geoff came over to sit with her on the couch. Ray and Jack looked up at their bosses, noting how nervous Griffon looked.

"So...who's Gavin?" Jack asked, putting down the clip he was loading with bullets.

"He's my cousin who lives in England."

"And he's coming here? In two weeks?"

"I couldn't exactly say no to my cousin. I'm the only person he's close with, we practically grew up together. What reason would I have for not wanting to see him?"

"Tell him you're in a gang and you're busy." Ray said, polishing his rifle.

"Shut the fuck up, Ray." Geoff said, pointing at him.

"You should _both_ shut up." Griffon said, shooting both Ray and Geoff a look that said they were both fucking morons. Ray swivelled round in his chair, spinning all the way round, slamming a hand sown on the table to stop himself from swinging round too much.

"But RWBY are beginning to bite back. Who knows what they'll be like in two weeks' time?" Griffon put her head in her hands at Jack's words, Geoff throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Gavin could be in serious danger."

"Tell me about it. He's practically still a kid."

"Practically? He's a fucking moron." Geoff scoffed, ignoring the roll of Griffon's eyes.

"I hate to ask this, but is he a threat?"

"Don't be fucking stupid, Jack. He may be a moron, but he's smart enough not to antagonise everyone he meets. Unlike _some_ people." Griffon glanced at Geoff as she said this, Geoff throwing up his hands and shrugging in response.

"What can I say, I try my best."

 

Griffon shook her head slightly, getting up. She stood in front of the window, watching the city life bustle below her.

"We'll need to hire another person. We can't keep him safe on our own, especially with RWBY on our tail."

Jack nodded. "But we need to be subtle, we can't shout about it this time."

"I'll put the word out, I know some people who may be interested in certain circles." Geoff said with a wave of his hand.

"Basically you know a dude, who knows a dude, who knows a dude, who knows a dude, who knows of a dude who may be interested." Ray piped in, grinning.

"Shut the fuck up, Ray."


	3. First One Up Was a Preacher's Son

_3 Years Previous_

 

"Well, this is home." Griffon said cheerfully as she opened the door to her apartment.

"You don't have to do this." Geoff stepped in hesitantly. "Are you sure this is okay?

"I told you, I _want_ to do this, so it's perfectly fine." She said, flicking on the light. The living room lit up, showing simple furnishings, but the design betrayed the expensive taste she had. She was obviously wealthy, and Geoff felt bad. "Take a seat, I'll get us some food." Griffon disappeared through an arched doorway, which probably led to the kitchen.

Geoff sat down on a couch, sinking into the soft furnishing. He looked around at the decor and saw a line of wooden statues on the mantelpiece, above what Geoff guessed what was an electric fireplace. He got up to look at the statues, picking one up carefully when Griffon's voice came from the kitchen.

"How does mac & cheese sound for dinner?"

"That's great, but you really don't have to do this, you know."

"I know, and I've told you fifty times it's okay." She said, rolling her eyes as she peered round the door frame. "I see you've found my carvings."

"You made these?"

"Yeah, they're pretty crap, huh?"

"They're fucking amazing, what're you talking about?" Geoff said, smiling widely as she came over to stand next to him. Griffon took the statue from his hands, and their fingers brushed against each other.

 _'Shit. She's cute and she's badass and I'm in her apartment. I'm in deep.'_ Geoff thought, watching Griffon put the statue back, placing it exactly as it was before. She smiled up at him and he smiled back, but it turned into a laugh as she tripped over on the step up to the kitchen whilst walking back.

"You okay? You fucked up a little there." Geoff called to her, hearing her laugh in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I did a little." She chuckled, accepting Geoff's hand as he pulled her up from the floor. Geoff laughed again, and she raised her eyebrows. "If you're going to laugh that much, you're going to help me cook."

 

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting next to each other on the couch, eating bowls of mac & cheese, laughing at a show on TV. Suddenly, Griffon muted it, turning towards Geoff.

"So, what's your story?"

"Sorry?" Geoff said, choking a little bit on his food.

"What're you running away from?" Griffon watched as he chewed his mouthful, swallowed then took a drink. "No guy stays in a motel for that long without a fucked up past or wanting to fuck a lady." Geoff laughed at that and but the laugh quickly died as he began to tell his story.

"I had an argument with my dad. That's basically how this whole thing started. It was only a little one at first, but then the fights started getting bigger and bigger, and we just couldn't handle it any more, so I left."

There was a pause, and Griffon's tone turned softer and more understanding.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was the fighting about."

"Little things, at first. You know, not doing work around the house, coming home later than I said, not texting to check up. Things like that. But then the bigger problems came out." Geoff sighed, putting his bowl down on the coffee table. "My dad's super religious, he's a preacher, but I don't bind to the whole religious thing. No offence to you if you do, I just...don't." Here he shrugged and Griffon stayed silent, waiting for the rest of the story. "One night we got into a really big fight about it. He said I'd burn in hell for eternity if I didn't follow the word of God, and I had to tell him that I didn't care as long as I was away from him. I took all the money I had in my bank account, which wasn't much in the first place, but it was something. And I left without any thought at all."

 

They stayed silent, watching the characters of some show move around on the screen, the audio still muted. Griffon thought about holding his hand, giving him some comfort somehow, but decided against it, not knowing how he'd feel about it.

"I had to run from my family too." Out of the corner of her eye she could see Geoff turn towards her, but she carried on facing forward. "They're a big part of a huge corporation that works all across America, so I never really wanted for anything as a kid. Everyone in my family works in the business, apart from me and my kid cousin Gavin." Here she smiled fondly. "We spent a lot of our childhood together, even though him and his parents lived in England. Me and him are the only ones who didn't go into the business, so you can guess how well that went down. Neither of our family wanted anything to do with us after that, so Gavin moved back to England and got a job, and I moved out of the family home and got my own apartment. At least my parents were somewhat sentimental towards me and didn't cut me off financially, unlike Gavin's parents, who left him with nothing. But he's happier now than he was before, so that's what counts."

"We both have fucked up pasts. _Awesome_." Geoff said sarcastically, making Griffon smile.

"Yup. Come on, let's get these bowls washed up."

 

_Present Day_

 

Griffon Ramsey rolled over in bed, careful not to wake Geoff, who was still asleep. She blinked, watching the dust motes dance in the sunlight coming through the crack in the curtains.

 _'This is such bad timing on Gavin's account.'_ She thought, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. _'I can't call to cancel now, though. That would give him a reason to check up on what I've been doing. But only yesterday Jack nearly got caught in the crossfire between RWBY and another gang. He's lucky some "random guy" on a motorbike offered him a lift to get out of there. It's getting more and more dangerous to be out on the streets. Who knows what Gavin could get into?"_ She sighed, sitting up.

_'I would never forgive myself if Gavin got hurt because of me.'_


	4. Ryan the Mask Guy

_24 Hours Previous_

Jack walked out the gun store only to hear gunshots echoing down the block. With it came the sounds of screams and car brakes screeching. His hand flew to the pistol in his jacket holster and started running down the block towards the noise, slipping into an alley as he realised what was happening: another gang in Los Santos was having a shootout with RWBY, the dominant gang in the city.

Jack knew exactly how this was going to end: the smaller gang would all die, and RWBY would have an even fiercer reputation. He cursed as he realised his car was right in the middle of the street where the shooting was going down. A woman screamed as she ran past him, thinking he was one of the shooters. People's heads turned and the two gangs realised he was there. Fake AH Crew was one of the most hated gangs in the city, and Jack knew he couldn't get out of this. He was a fish in a barrel here.

 

His heart sped up with both fear and adrenaline as he saw two members of RWBY take aim at him. He ducked around the corner of the alley just as the shots were fired, sending brick dust into his face. Even though he was wearing his body armour, he knew he didn't have enough bullets to take them down. Plus two of the RWBY girls were closing in, and everyone knew that meant certain death.

 

Then he heard a motorbike engine rev behind him, filling the narrow alley with noise. Jack wrenched his gaze from the advancing RWBY girls and looked over his shoulder at the rider. He couldn't see much; the brick dust was still flying in the air and the rider wore a mask on, but he still heard the rider shout over the gunfire.

"Come with me if you want to live!"

"What the fuck?!" Jack shouted, unable to believe his ears. The guy was making movie references _now?_ He still ran to the bike though, jumping on the back and bracing himself for the acceleration by grabbing the rider with one hand, the other hand aiming his pistol past them at the shooters.

"Hold on." The man said, taking off out of the alley. They sped away from carnage, bullets pinging off the motorbike. Jack fired back until they were around the corner, and watched the road behind them for any cops or gang members until they were on the other side of the city and back into Fake AH Crew territory.

 

The motorbike slowed down in a side alley just off the street where the Fake AH Crew HQ was, the rider stepping off.

"I believe this is your stop."

"How the fuck do you know that?" Jack asked, immediately suspicious. He got off the bike, a hand on his gun.

"A few people in certain circles know these things." There was a smile in his voice, and Jack mentally prepared himself to draw his gun if he needed to. "You know, a guy knows a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy."

Jack groaned, dreading what was coming. "Are you gonna make another bad joke or are you gonna kill me?"

"Why on Earth would I kill you? Do I look like that kind of guy to you?"

"I don't know what you look like, you've got a fucking mask on!"

 

They heard footsteps behind them, and both turned, watching as Ray sauntered out a back door.

"Ryan, if you're gonna be a little shit, be a little shit somewhere else." Ray smiled at Jack's confused expression.

"You two know each other?"

"I get around a bit." Ray shrugged and Jack looked between the two men.

"Oh please, this is the first time you've seen the sun in a decade." Ryan shot back.

"Shots fired!" Ray shouted, making Jack's temper rise.

"Ray, who the fuck is this asshole?!" Jack shouted, walking towards Ray who backed up with his hands raised.

"Look, Jack, we better get inside fast. Especially if you've been where I think you've been."

 

Ray opened the back door again, walking inside. They followed him, Jack keeping a close on Ryan who was in front of him. Coming up to a set of elevators in the lobby, Ray pressed the up button and got in an elevator that was already down. The three of them stepped in, and Ray pushed the button for the penthouse, smirking as he saw Jack fuming in the corner. There was a brief pause, then Ryan spoke.

"Nice to see you're out meeting new people, Ray."

"Nice to see you're still a moron with a mask."

"How many times do I have to say this, it adds to the mystery."

"There's no mystery, there's _'Oh look, it's that fucking idiot with the mask again.'_ Ray faked enthusiasm and carried on. "' _Is it a bird? Is it a plane?'_ No, it's fucking _Ryan the mask guy._ "

"Alright, you don't have to be so goddamn _mean_ about it." Ryan said, looking down at his boots. Ray looked pleased with himself as the lift doors opened, but his face immediately fell as he saw Geoff standing right in front of them, looking furious.

 

Ray opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Geoff.

"I don't want to hear it. Get the fuck inside you goddamn idiots." He watched as they walked past him, confusion filling his face as he saw Ryan. "Who the fuck is this?"

"Ask Ray." Jack said, pointing to the dark haired man who'd already gone into the apartment. Griffon came to the doorway to see what was taking so long, arms folded, a tired look on her face.

"I don't care who you are, just get in the goddamn apartment." She said to Ryan, stopping Geoff from protesting with a hand over his mouth.

She herded the men inside, making them sit down.

 

"First of all, Jack what the fuck took you so long?" She said, making Jack squirm in his seat with a stare.

"Well...there was kind of a shootout and my car was kind of used as cover by RWBY."

"Why didn't you park it outside the gun shop?" Griffon said, sounding like an exasperated mother.

"There was a double yellow line..."

"So you're worried about a double yellow line? Jack, you're in a _gang_ for God's sake! We're not exactly legal!" Griffon heard Ray snigger under his breath, and turned on him, picking him as her next victim.

"You. Who the _fuck_ is he, why the _fuck_ is he here, and how the _fuck_ do you know him?!" Ray's smile drained from his face, along with the confidence he had had.

"Well...maybe when I was working with RWBY," he began under his breath, making Geoff groan and put his head in his hands.

"Louder." She demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Maybe when I was working with RWBY I met him once or twice and he seemed like a cool dude so we became friends but I haven't seen him in a while so it's really nice to see you buddy." Ray rambled, smiling at Ryan, trying to divert Griffon's attention.

"This isn't a fucking social club, Ray!" She shouted, making everyone flinch. "You don't befriend the people you meet in gangs, _especially_ RWBY. I don't care if he's your friend, you don't bring him here, he's in another gang!"

"I'm actually not -" Ryan began, but Griffon cut him off.

"Shut up. It's not your turn." She turned back to Ray, who was sinking lower in his seat, looking for all his life like a moody teenager. "Now, what do we say?"

"Sorry." He muttered monotonously. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah, but don't do anything stupid like this again."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Geoff said under his breath, his head snapping up when Griffon turned to him.

"How the hell did you let this happen? You said you were keeping an eye on them!"

"Maybe things got away from me and I had to look away for a second!"

"Don't you get sassy with me! You know letting people in here is dangerous, why didn't you stop Ray from putting us all in danger and letting the fucking thing in?"

"Thing?" Ryan said to himself, making Griffon point a finger at him for a moment.

"Who the _fuck_ are you anyway?"

"Ryan Haywood, at your service ma'am."

"Get that damn mask off your face, you look like an idiot. I don't care if you're protecting your identity, you've already told us your name so _get it off._ "

"Whatever you say, ma'am." He said, pulling it off, winking after he did so.

"Hey. Don't wink at my wife." Geoff said, sitting up straighter.

"And don't call me ma'am." Griffin added.

"Done and done." Ryan said, running his fingers through his hair to make it neater after the mask.

"Care to tell us why you're here?" Griffon asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"I heard you had a job opening."

"Where did you hear that?" She asked, her voice quieter but no less serious.

"Truth be told, Ray called me. He knew I was in town and that I haven't been up to anything in a while, so he told me you were hiring."

"Right. But you do realise it's not that simple; we need to check up on you." Jack said, still wary about Ryan in general.

 

Right after Jack said that, Geoff's laptop pinged, a notification for a new email coming up. He got up, opening it. The sender ID was blocked, and Griffon saw so, making her peer around the room for cameras or microphones; the email listed every single detail about an R. Haywood's life, concluding at the bottom with saving J. Pattillo from a B. Dunkelman and an A. Zech. While Geoff scrolled through the information, Griffon walked up to a confused Ryan, her eyes narrowed.

"Tell me now, and be honest: are you bugged? Are you a fucking rat?"

"No, I swear." Ryan put his hands up, shaking his head.

"If we find out you're lying I swear I will kill you myself."

Another ping, and Geoff beckoned Griffon over. The next email only said this:

_'He's not bugged, he's trustworthy. I checked myself. Consider me a reliable source until proven otherwise.'_

Griffon turned around, giving up on trying to look for anything amiss in the apartment. Ryan looked honestly confused, and that was enough for her.

"Turn up here tomorrow morning and we'll give you our verdict. Until then, consider yourself hired."

"Fuck yes!" They heard Ray shout, seeing his head pop round the door frame.

"Shut up Ray!"


	5. This Is a Bad Town For Such a Pretty Face

_Present Day_

 

Gavin sent the email, taking a swig of his beer and leaning back in his chair, slightly nervous about the silence that had just descended in the room.

_"Tell me now, and be honest: are you bugged? Are you a fucking rat?"_

Gavin sat up, slamming his beer down on the table in his haste to send another email, hoping that he wouldn't be too late. Or just hoping Griffon wouldn't do anything rash. He heard Ryan's panicked words denying the accusations, and ignored his beer foaming and spilling over the top.

Fighting to stay calm, he wrote:

_'He's not bugged, he's trustworthy. I checked myself. Consider me a reliable source until proven otherwise.'_

It was a moment of silence before he heard the ping in the microphone, and Griffon's positive words. He even chuckled at Ray's shouting, deciding that when they met they'd be good friends.

 

It was worth paying his informant extra money to get that one microphone installed in the living room of the penthouse, even if the quality was worse than Gavin was used to. He glanced to the side, where all of his home made equipment lay. In four days' time he'd be able to set all of it up himself, ensuring that he could watch them all hours of the day and be there if something went wrong. He knew Griffon and Geoff were capable of handling themselves in the current situation, but if RWBY decided to take a strike at them, they were in trouble.

 

Gavin pulled up his information on RWBY again, flicking through one last time to refresh his memory.

Lindsay Tuggey, specialising in torture techniques and hand to hand combat. Founder of RWBY and current leader. Threat level: Very High.

Burnie Burns, specialising in weaponry and strategy. Second in command. Threat level:  Very High.

Barbara Dunkelman, specialising weaponry and explosives. Threat level: High.

Arryn Zech, specialising in weaponry and disguise. Threat level: High.

Kara Eberle, specialising in sniping and hand to hand combat. Threat level: High.

Joel Heyman, specialising in transport and hand to hand combat. Threat level: High.

Matt Hullum, specialising in weaponry and public relations. Threat level: High.

Gavin sighed and closed the email, fingers pressing the bridge of his nose in frustration. If Griffon insisted on getting into this much trouble, then he might as well be there to help her when she needed it. It's not like he had anything better to do anyway.

 

#

 

Lindsay blew a strand of her hair out of her face, hitting the punch bag again with more force. She imagined it was his face. She stopped the punch bag from swinging, stepping back to aim a roundhouse kick to the middle of the bag. Lindsay resumed the punching, ignoring the sweat trailing down her neck.

"Don't overwork yourself. It's not good for you." Burnie said from behind her, watching as Lindsay carried on.

"It's not good for me to get soft, either."

"But we need you. We don't know when Fake AH Crew is going to attack, no one can get close enough to retrieve the information needed."

"That's not my fault." She spun around and aimed a punch at him, but he quickly dodged her, stepping backwards.

"You're the head of this. Figure it out, or I will." He said, making Lindsay stop and catch her breath for a moment. After watching him leave, she turned around and kicked the bag hard, wincing when it slammed into her as it was still moving from her previous punches.

She needed to figure something out, and fast. Burnie was trying to take control.

 

#

 

96 hours later, Gavin was hugging Griffon in the Arrivals lounge of Los Santos Airport, his bags around his feet. Griffon pulled away, looking a little too tense.

"Griff, what's up?" He said, feigning ignorance but not concern.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." She smiled, helping him with one of his bags. "How was the flight?"

"Kinda rough, but there's nothing you can do about that, right? Didn't sleep much, I'm absolutely mullered."

"You can sleep once we get home, cause if you drool in my car I swear I'll kill you." She laughed, but Gavin couldn't shake how she'd said the same thing to Ryan just a couple of days ago and actually meant it.

They walked out of the airport, Griffon leading him to a car he didn't recognise.

"Dude, is this your new car?" Gavin said, feeling surprise for the first time today. He decided not to remark on the tinted windows.

"Yeah, it's brand new. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah. Where did you get the money for this?" Gavin asked as they lifted his suitcases into the boot, slamming it shut. Griffon took her time answering, getting into the driver's seat first.

"What can I say, my carvings have really been flying off the shelves lately." Gavin knew where the money was really from, but he didn't say anything, not wanting to upset her.

"Where's Geoff? I thought he'd be meeting me here with you."

"He's...at the supermarket." She said, pulling out of the car park with an unreadable expression. Gavin played along, getting an idea. If he had this right, and he was pretty sure he did, Geoff was hiding everything from Gavin right now, so he didn't know he should be coming home with food to make the whole charade convincing.

"Do you mind if I use your phone to text him about getting me pop tarts?" He asked, relieved when Griffon realised this would help solve her problem.

"Yeah, sure. It's in my bag." She motioned to the back seat, and Gavin found the mobile, sending a quick text to Geoff to tell him he was here safe and not to forget pop tarts while he was at the supermarket.

 

Absent minded, he looked in his wing mirror, watching the car behind them. It had tinted windows too, and stayed two cars behind them at all times. Gavin made sure to keep an eye on the car as it followed them at all the turns, making polite conversation with Griffon as she drove them home, seemingly oblivious as to what was happening. Gavin was pretty sure that the car was there for their protection, but was unnerved by how well Griffon was hiding her secret. He knew she was doing it for protection, but he wished she'd see that he wasn't a kid and didn't need protection anymore.

 

They get to the apartment, Gavin seriously impressed with the quality of living that they had there. And the Ramseys had the penthouse apartment, no less.

"Here we are, Gav. That room there's yours." She said, pointing to a door in the far corner of the open plan space. "Go make yourself at home."

"Thanks. Do you mind if I put my stuff in the wardrobe and in the bathroom and stuff?"

"Not at all. You have an en suite anyway."

"Alright, thanks." Gavin said, wheeling his suitcases into his room. His first stop was the wardrobe, unpacking a few of his nicer shirts and a few good pairs of jeans, hanging them up. He went to put his American phone and charger in the top drawer of the bedside table, but hesitated when he saw the fully loaded gun lying there. Gavin sighed, knowing he would have to act scared.

He cleared his voice before calling Griffon's name, loud and nervous. "Griffon? Why is there a gun in my room?" He heard her curse from the kitchen and carried on, trying to make it convincing as he picked it up, letting it dangle between two fingers. "Griffon, why is it loaded?"

"Gavin, put it down before you hurt yourself. Or me." Came her voice from the living room. Gavin turned around, watching as she entered the room, holding her hand out. "Geoff must have left it there. So sorry about that, Gav."

"Why does Geoff have guns?" Gavin asked, watching how comfortably Griffon checked whether the safety was on and if it was loaded or not.

"He likes them. You know, protection and all. I'll go put this back in our room." She said with a smile, walking out.

It then hit Gavin that Griffon had changed even more than he had previously thought. If Griffon was dangerous, he dreaded to think what Geoff was like now, not to mention the other members of the gang. He could already tell that watching their actions from here would be even worse than he'd previously thought.

There was no separating himself from the situation this time.


	6. I Swear I'll Behave

_1 Year Previous_

"Gavin?" Griffon called, nervously smoothing her dress down. "Gavin, where the fuck are you?"

"I'm here. Are you decent?" He said from the behind the door.

"If I wasn't, would I be calling for you?"

"Fair enough." Gavin said, coming into the room. "Dude...damn, you look good." Griffon rolled her eyes.

"Let's hope Geoff thinks so too."

"Are you kidding me? He's seen you with your worst hangovers, I doubt he's gonna mind you looking like this." He motioned to her floor-length ivory dress, the veil hanging prettily from the top of her elaborate hairdo. Griffon took a deep breath, looking in the mirror again.

"Thanks for being able to make it, Gav. I wouldn't be able to do this without you."

"How could I miss this?" Gavin smiled, putting his hands in his pockets and shrugging.

They both heard the commotion outside in the hallway, and knew that it was time. Gavin stuck his arm out towards Griffon, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Are you ready?"

"No." She said, taking a deep breath and threading her arm through his. "Let's go."

 

#

 

_Present Day_

Gavin yawned, padding into the kitchen bare footed, his eyes still clouded with sleep. Stretching, he opened a couple of cupboards, trying to find the cereal. He opened the fridge, finding the milk, so he took it out, placing it on the counter.

"One out of three." He murmured sleepily, opening the nearest cupboard to find spices and seasonings hiding a couple boxes of ammo. "It's too early for this." He sighed, moving onto the next cabinet. There he found a gun taped to the door, and he closed it straight away, not seeing any cereal.

 

He stopped for a moment, enjoying the sunlight coming through the large windows. Gavin walked closer, peering at the city below. It was a nice change to the stormy British weather he'd become used to. Looking across the street, he noticed a man on top of the building opposite, holding a bright pink rifle. Knowing the man could see him, he waved, watching as the other guy waved back. Leaning towards the window, he looked down, seeing the same black car from yesterday parked outside the apartment complex, a tall man leaning against the driver's door.

Figuring the man with the pink gun could see him well enough, he put a finger to his lips, watching as the other man nodded.

 

With that, Gavin went back to looking for the cereal, opening three cupboards and finding yet more guns in them. Under the sink there were a bunch of sticky bombs trying to hide behind laundry detergent.

"Looks like Geoff didn't do a very good job."

Opening the next cupboard up, he found his requested pop tarts, fruit loops and Lucky Charms, causing his stomach to rumble.

"Two out of three. Where are the goddamn bowls?" Gavin sighed as he resumed the never ending search for breakfast, only to be presented with badly hidden weapons and ammo. After finding four guns, more bombs and many, many boxes of ammo, Gavin finally had a bowl that was completely firearm and ammunition free.

By the time Gavin finished his cereal (and found the gun in his Lucky Charms), the sun was well up in the sky, and the guy with the black car below had made five or six rounds of the neighbouring blocks.

 

Putting his bowl in the sink, he wandered back to his room and opened a suitcase, taking out the small plastic box containing his homemade CCTV equipment and his microphones. He made quick work of setting them up strategically throughout the apartment, making sure he had every angle covered (apart from Griffon and Geoff's bedroom, of course). He couldn't get to setting microphones and trackers on the gang's cars just yet, which would prove difficult, but he'd done harder things before.

He was about to set up the very last microphone when he heard the key turn in the lock. Luckily he had the TV on as background noise, otherwise Griffon would have heard him rushing from the kitchen to the living room, flinging himself on the couch just as she came through the door.

"Hey, Griff."

"Hi, Gavin. How long have you been up?"

"Only a bit." He said, looking up at her as she dropped her keys on the dining table. "I found another one of Geoff's guns."

"Oh, where was it?" Griffon asked, sounding a little on edge.

"In my cereal. Griffon, who keeps their gun in Lucky Charms? Who does that?" He said, pretending to get more and more worked up. In reality, he knew it was only because Geoff was lazy and didn't try to hide things from him properly. "I'm not exactly comfortable around guns, but I'd rather they'd be out in the open that in my bloody cereal." He carried on, watching as Griffon took out her phone, no doubt to call Geoff and rain hell fire upon him.

 

#

 

"Put the money in the goddamn bag!" Geoff shouted, glancing over his shoulder at Jack, who was waiting in the car outside. His grip on his gun tightened as his phone began to ring. He fished it out of his pocket and picked it up.

"Hello?"

_"Who the fuck leaves a gun in cereal, Geoff?!"_

"Sorry, dear. I was in a rush, I didn't know it was there." He said with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders, motioning with his gun for the clerk to speed it up.

_"Maybe you should keep track of your fucking guns, then!"_

"But I have so many!"

_"Get rid of some then."_

"Sweetie, we've talked about this, I'm not getting rid of them."

_"It's not my fault you're emotionally attached to firearms!"_

"Honey, can we talk about this later? I'm sorta in the middle of something."

The clerk looked up at him as if he were mad, but Geoff stepped closer, thrusting the gun back in his face.

_"We better talk about it when you get here, then. Don't forget to bring home some more milk."_

"Fine. I love you, dearest." Geoff sighed and hung up, taking the bag of money from the man behind the counter. "Thanks, man." He said before shooting him, jogging lightly to the car.

Jack opened the door for him and he got in, the other man driving off straight away as they heard sirens.

"Why were you on the phone in there?" Jack asked, expertly weaving through the traffic.

"I left a gun in the Lucky Charms." Geoff replied, counting the money.

"You fucking moron." Jack laughed as Geoff held onto the sides of his seat as they swerved back onto the road, beginning to lose the cops.

"I'm in so much shit when I get home."


	7. 10% Luck or 20% Skill

_Present Day_

"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon, Gavin. Two weeks went by really quickly." Griffon said, hugging him at the entrance to the Departure Lounge of the airport. Geoff stood behind her, waiting for his turn.

"Yeah, sorry about my guns, dude." He said, making Gavin laugh as he went to hug him.

"It's alright, scared me a little, but I got over it."

"Are you sure you packed everything?" Griffon asked as he picked up his bags.

"Even if I forgot anything, keep it for me; I'll be coming back soon." Griffon and Geoff let out a nervous laugh.

Gavin looked at the time on his watch and put on a worried expression. "Oh God, if we keep this up I'll be late for my flight. See ya guys. Be safe." He said, watching as the couple walked off, turning back to wave at him.

 

Gavin stayed there until they were out of sight, then called for a taxi, activating the trackers in their cars as he waited. He watched the red dots leave the car park as he saw the taxi pull up in front of him, the driver helping him put his bags in the boot. They both got in, Gavin keeping the screen for the trackers face down on his lap.

"Where to?" Asked the driver, and Gavin listed off the address of his new apartment, only three blocks away from the Ramseys' penthouse. During the two weeks he'd spent in Los Santos he'd bought a new apartment so he could keep an eye on everyone, and had finished installing all the trackers and cameras he had set out to.

As the taxi set off, Gavin turned the trackers' screen to face him. All was well for five minutes, when the two red dots separated, and Gavin began to question what was happening. He felt the taxi slow down and pull over to let two police cars speed past them, sirens blaring. Gavin's eyebrows raised as one of the cars stopped on the tracking device.

 

Gavin's leg started bouncing with anxiety as the taxi slowly pulled back onto the road and carried on towards the apartment. In a few minutes they arrived, and everything seemed normal, Gavin getting out and briefly stopping to glance down the road. The tracker in his hand showed one of the red dots was coming towards him, fast, and he ducked behind the taxi just before a black car riddled with bullet holes came screeching round the corner.

It sped past them, followed by another car, with a blonde woman leaning out the back window with a gun in her hand. Gavin had a feeling about who that was. The driver saw his terrified expression and explained to him that gangs were a huge problem in this area.

"I kinda guessed that." Gavin said. "Can you help me with me with my bags as quickly as possible?"

"Wanna get inside that fast, huh?"

"Yeah." Gavin thought about the fact that Griffon and Geoff could be in trouble, and it made him all the more eager to see what was going on. He'd already set up all of his equipment here last week under the pretence of going to the beach (somehow he'd managed to shake the guy who was tailing him) so his apartment was ready.

"You'll get used to it, kid."

"I imagine I'll have to." Gavin quickly grabbed his bags, paid the driver, and jogged inside, getting in a lift as soon as he could.

He anxiously tapped his foot as he waited for the lift to reach the top floor. If he had enough money to buy the penthouse apartment, why the hell shouldn't he? The elevator was painfully slow, and the smooth jazz that was playing was infuriating.

 

Once the doors opened, he legged it to his front door, fumbling with the keys as he tried to get in. It took him at least a minute to get the key in the lock and to turn it the right way, but once he did, he threw his bags down onto the floor, dashing over to where his set up was. He quickly saw that Griffon and Geoff were safe in their apartment, and Ray was stationed on the opposite roof with his rifle. Ryan and Jack, however, were still speeding, trying to dodge RWBY.

Gavin realised that RWBY had planned an ambush for them, and it wouldn't be long until Griffon and Geoff would be in danger.

"They're gonna need another member if they want to take down RWBY. I wonder if they've realised that." Gavin said to himself, making quick work of setting up a route for Ryan and Jack to follow. He sent it to their navigation system and hoped that they would trust it. He waited anxiously to see if they were following the route, watching the red dot on the tracker. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw their car turn down the alley that was on the route, and moved onto his next order of business.

 

He went online and contacted his informant while pulling up the CCTV for the Ramseys' apartment complex on another screen.

_Remember a couple of weeks ago when I asked you to do some research on the infamous Mogar?_

He wrote, sending it quickly as he checked on the apartment. He could see Geoff loading guns, Griffon talking anxiously on the phone to somebody.

_Yeah. Got the info right here. Shall I send Mogar the word of the Fake AH Crew?_

Gavin read the message and thought for a moment before replying.

_Yeah, and send Griffon his credentials if they question his identity as Mogar. Send me the information first._

 

Looking at the tracker, he could see that Ryan and Jack had made it back to the apartment, and judging by the CCTV of the area, RWBY had backed down, but only for the time being. Ray was still stationed on the roof, and Gavin could hear Geoff telling everyone to stay in Fake AH territory for the time being via the living room microphones. Gavin sighed in relief, relaxing slightly as his informant sent him the 411 on Mogar A.K.A. Michael Jones.

It was time to make a move on RWBY.


	8. Lies and Affectations

_Present Day_

 

"You mean to tell me that our arch enemies fucking _got away?!_ " Burnie shouted, making Barbara roll her eyes. She threw her jacket on her desk, watching as Lindsay's eyes filled with fury.

"Next you fucking try to get them!" She shouted at him.

"Maybe I will." Burnie replied. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife as he stormed out of the room, making Arryn step aside to let him pass. She looked at Lindsay with pity in her eyes, which only infuriated her more.

"If it's any consolation, I was the driver, I lost them." Joel said, putting his hands in his pockets. Lindsay turned towards him, shouting.

"I don't need any fucking consolation, Joel!"

There was a pause, where Kara pulled up CCTV footage from the docks. "Guys?" Everyone in the room turned to look at her, Matt leaning back in his chair in order to see her. "We may have a problem; Mogar's back in town."

 

#

 

_11 Years Previous_

 

"Catch up, dumbass, or I'm gonna leave you behind!" Lindsay shouted over her shoulder, laughing.

"I'm trying my best, asshole!" Michael shot back, pedalling furiously. "You wait till we get to that hill, I'll take you down!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Oh you're gonna _watch_ me do it!" Michael yelled, starting to catch up with her. He laughed at how her bike tire slipped a little around a bend, allowing him to close in on her.

"If you make me fall off my bike, my mom's gonna kill you!"

"If your mom finds out you've been hanging out with me, she'll kill me anyway!"

"Then your ass is dead meat!" Lindsay laughed, gaining more speed.

"I know my ass is cute, but you should really stop thinking about it."

"Oh you _wish_ I was fantasising about your ass."

"Well, what can I say, I know these things." Michael said, making Lindsay laugh as he caught up with her.

"You don't know anything, Jones."

"Neither do you, Tuggey. Or should I say, Thuggey."

"Shut the fuck up, Michael. You never know, you may become the Thuggey."

"Is that a marriage proposal?" Michael asked, a smirk on his face.

"You never know what the future may hold, Mr Jones."

 

#

 

_Present Day_

 

Lindsay slammed down her gun on the desk, making Barbara flinch. Kara still had the CCTV on the big screen, and all of them watched as Michael picked up his one bag and walked towards the city.

"God fucking damnit, why can't he stay out of our city?"

"Well, he's here for a reason, whatever it is." Arryn said from the door frame, crossing her arms.

"No shit, Sherlock. We just need to figure out what it is." Lindsay said, picking up her gun again and cocking it. "We need to take him down once and for all."

"But Burnie said -"

"I don't give a shit what Burnie said. I'm the goddamn leader and he better respect me." Lindsay cut Matt off, shooting everyone in the room a cold stare. "Let me handle this. You guys focus on Fake AH Crew."

 

#

 

Michael rang the doorbell again, wondering why the fuck it was taking so long for someone to answer a goddamn door. They were a powerful gang, for Christ's sake, couldn't one person get off their ass and answer the fucking door?

The door opened, a gun immediately thrust into his face.

"Who the fuck are you?" A deep voice said.

"Didn't you contact me and say you wanted me? What do you mean, who the fuck am I?" Michael said, raising his voice. Another head appeared around the door, belonging to a shorter man with glasses.

"Hey, watch your fucking language."

"Shut the fuck up, Ray. Let me handle this." A third man appeared from round the door, pushing both men out of the way with tattooed arms.

"Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on? I was told you assholes were expecting me!" Michael shouted, making Ray laugh. The man with the tattoos looked confused, and turned to look someone behind him.

"Griff? Were we expecting anyone?"

"We certainly weren't." A woman's voice came, and suddenly hands were on Michael, dragging him inside violently.

"Get the fuck off me!" He fought back, but the two men holding him were too strong. A third pair of hands pushed him forward onto the floor.

"Now tell us: who the fuck are you." The woman's voice came again, and Michael looked up to see five guns pointed at him from varying angles. He stood up slowly with his hands raised, flinching when he felt a gun between his shoulder blades.

"You're gonna stand up, and you're gonna tell us who you are, and how you know this address. You're gonna do it nice and easy like. Okay?" The man who'd opened the door first spoke this time, his distinct voice making Michael shiver. Looking up, he saw he was facing the woman, obviously the leader. She looked fucking pissed.

 

#

 

Gavin laughed as Michael was shoved into the room, but quickly turned worried when all five guns were drawn.

"Oh, bollocks." He said, pulling his legs off his desk as he sat up. He turned the volume up on the microphones and waited to see how it would play out. In case they doubted him, Gavin had the information ready to send at the click of a button.

_"I got an email. It said Fake AH Crew needed another member, they were looking for someone. I was told my reputation would cut it, but obviously you don't know jack shit about me."_

Gavin saw Geoff and Griffon exchange confused looks, then Griffon spoke.

_"Who the hell contacted you and how did they know this address?"_

_"I don't know, I couldn't track them down. They told me to come here, into a city ruled by a gang that hates my fucking guts, so I suggest you let me explain who I am before you decide whether you want my blood on your carpet or not."_

Gavin nodded along with what Michael said, even though he wasn't there with them. He prepared himself to send the email with Mogar's credentials, fingers hovering over the enter button.

_"People know me as Mogar."_

_"Wait a minute, I know that name. A guy by that identity pulled that huge bank stunt a couple of years back, along with a dozen other smaller heists. It was a big deal."_ Jack said to Geoff and Griffon.

 _"Fuck yeah it was a big deal. Took me six months to prepare for that."_ Michael said with an indignant expression. Gavin waited for the words he knew were coming.

_"How do we you're Mogar? You seem awfully young to be that experienced."_

Gavin grinned as Griffon said that, hitting send on the email. Almost straight away he heard the 'ping' of Geoff's laptop in the quiet room, and saw Ray leave the circle to check the new message.

_"You could say I was raised into the life. And I'm 24. Your sniper's younger than I am."_

_"Geoff, it happened again."_  

Gavin tensed as Geoff walked over to Ray, waiting for his reaction.

_"How the fuck is this happening again? We must be bugged."_

_"Shoot him."_ Griffon said, and the blood drained Gavin's face.

"Fuck!"

 _"Same thing happened with me, you didn't shoot me."_ Ryan said, hesitant to shoot the man in front of him.

_"You weren't claiming to be fucking Mogar though, were you Ryan?"_

_"Hey, assholes, I_ am _Mogar. Check my fucking bag. Explosives. How does Mogar pull his heists? Explosives!"_ Michael began to shout, his frustration peaking.

Gavin watched the screen, seeing Ray throw Michael's bag to Griffon, who emptied it out on the floor. What was in the bag was indeed explosives, and Gavin prayed that they wouldn't blow themselves up by being so careless. He saw Geoff reading through the information he sent, hoping that he would see some sense.

Typing quickly, he sent another email saying:

_He's being honest. Please do not kill him. You need him, RWBY are on the move. - Your reliable and trustworthy source_

He heard it arrive, and Geoff read it aloud, making Jack curse under his breath.

_"Looks like someone favours you, Michael Jones. You'll live."_

Gavin breathed a sigh of relief as the guns were put away, Ryan packing up his bag and giving it back to Michael.

He opened a beer, leaning back in his seat again while watching everyone calm down.

"That could have been messy." Gavin said to himself, continuing to keep an eye on Griffon just in case. Ever since the narrow escape she was volatile, and Gav certainly did not want Michael to die.

Not before he could take him out for a drink first.


	9. All Dressed Up For a Hit and Run

_Present Day_

"Goddamn, I hope this works." Gavin said as he tightened his bow tie, straightening out his suit and taking one last look in the mirror. "If it doesn't, all hell will break loose." Checking his earpiece was working, he put in his ear, turning it on. It would be set to the frequency Fake AH Crew would be using, so he could listen in and know what they were doing.

He took one last look at the Ramseys' apartment, saw all the guns laid out and the members bustling around, and left, hoping he'd get there before everyone else.

 

#

 

_3 Hours Previous_

"There's a high profile gala going on this afternoon. What do you say we rob the joint?" Geoff asked Griffon, a hopeful smile on his face as he showed her a plan he'd written up.

"I'm not sure. Security in that place does seem pretty tight. But you've certainly done your research."

"Yeah...you could say that." Geoff grinned, watching as Griffon looked over the plan.

"A gala? That's fancy, I like fancy." Ray said as he peeked round the door. Griffon looked up at him with her eyebrows raised.

"Have you even got a suit, Ray?"

"Nope, but I can get one."

"We'd better go now if we're gonna do this." Ryan said, looking at his watch.

"We haven't even scoped out the territory yet." Jack said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Nah dude, I've done that already." Everyone could tell Geoff was bullshitting, but they couldn't deny his enthusiasm for the job. Griffon sighed, and everyone could see she'd given in.

"Alright, we'll do this job, but if we fuck up then it's your goddamn fault, and I will not fail to remind you."

 

#

 

_2 Hours Previous_

"Is everything ready for the gala tonight?" Lindsay asked the gang as she stood before them, hands on her hips as she stood behind her desk.

"Transport and surveillance is ready." Joel said, standing next to Kara.

"The dresses and tuxes are arriving in half an hour." She said as soon as Joel finished, not wanting to make Lindsay wait for anything. She'd been antsy ever since she'd heard the news that Mogar was back in town.

"That's cutting it a little close, but never mind. Just make sure we get there on time. We want to remind everyone who really runs this town." Lindsay walked out of the room, passing Burnie on the way. They ignored each other, Burnie on his way into the offices and Lindsay on her way out to check the cars over herself.

 

Barbara ran, managing to catch Lindsay before she got to the garages. She pulled her into a supply closet and shut the door before starting to speak.

"I know you've got a grudge against Mogar, but you can't let it consume you. Burnie's looking to replace you as it is, we don't need a slip up. He's not as good a leader as you are. If you want my advice, either you let this grudge go and keep it in the past where it belongs, or you settle it quickly before Burnie has a chance to exploit it."

"There's no way I'm letting this go. I'm settling this myself." She pushed Barbara against the wall, opened the door and stormed out, heading towards the garages.

"Lindsay, wait!"

"Goddamnit Barb." Came a voice from behind her, and she recognised it to be Burnie's. He grabbed her, pulling her close and putting a hand over her mouth. "She said she'll settle this herself. Wouldn't want to disobey out glorious leader now, would we?"

Barbara yanked herself away from him, anger bubbling inside her. She needed to protect Lindsay at all costs.

 

#

 

_Present Day_

Gavin looked around, scanning the crowd to see if Fake AH Crew were here yet. He breathed a sigh of relief when he couldn't see them anywhere, along with RWBY. If they got here at the same time it would be a disaster. He nodded when the head of security informed him that Fake AH Crew were outside, and moved to the back of the crowd, making polite conversation with people who had already arrived.

Lifting his head up, he tried to see above the crowd as Fake AH Crew entered the gala, welcomed by the host and their associates. Then, he saw Mogar standing next to Geoff, looking handsome in his tuxedo. Gavin raised his eyebrows in appreciation. Michael was more attractive than he'd previously thought. Griffon lifted her head as if sensing him and he quickly turned his back, beginning a conversation with another quest.

 

As Fake AH Crew split up and covered the room with a command in the earpiece from Griffon, Gavin realised it would be pretty difficult not to get spotted, and decided that he might as well have some fun. He headed over to the bar where Michael was ordering a drink.

"Let me pay for that." Gavin said, watching with satisfaction as Michael's eyes widened slightly.

"And you are?"

"People call me Gavin." He said with a smile, leaning forward onto the bar and handing Michael his drink. "What do they call you?"

"Friends call me Michael."

"And people who aren't friends?"

"Something along the lines of 'That douchebag with the curly hair'." They both laughed, taking a sip of their drinks. "So, Gavin. What brings you here tonight?"

"I'm one of the hosts of this little party."

 _'Fantastic, A+ Michael. You have a crush on a rich British boy who's the host of the party you're about to heist. Well done. Great job.'_ Michael thought, but he didn't betray what he was here for.

"If you call this little, I'd love to see what you call big."

Suddenly, Gavin heard Jack's voice in the earpiece.

_'Michael, stop flirting at the bar like a cheap whore and get over here.'_

Gavin fought hard not to laugh as he winked and took his drink before walking off in the opposite direction.

 

Michael rolled his eyes and walked over to where Jack was, conveniently hiding behind a pillar.

"RWBY are here. I've put it out through the earpiece but Ray's being a moron and he took his out after telling everyone it was 'too uncomfortable'." Michael swore and began scanning the crowd for Ray. "I need you to go find him and meet the rest of us by the service entrance."

"Gotcha. I'm gonna go find that bastard. If we're not there in fifteen minutes, leave without us." Michael said and took off, expertly weaving through the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gavin talking to security, motioning to the crowd.

 _'Fuck, he knows two gangs are here. He knows who we are. That asshole fucking double-played me.'_ Michael thought as made his way over to where he saw Ray last, the crowd seeming to get louder in his ears.

Somehow he spotted Ray a few feet away, talking to a couple of women who seemed to be laughing. "Ray!" Michael shouted, not bothering to keep his voice down. They were in shit anyway.

 

Just as Michael had got to Ray, two gun shots silenced the room, the crowd parting as Michael turned around to see the gun the bullets had come from. It was held by none other than Lindsay Tuggey.

"Michael Vincent Jones!" She shouted, stepping closer in her periwinkle blue evening gown. "It's payback time, you son of a bitch!"

"Oh shit." Michael muttered, swallowing as he let go of Ray and pushed him aside. "Get to the back door. Now."

 

#

 

Gavin heard the shots, his heart stopping as he saw the gun aimed at Michael's head. He saw him push Ray out of the way, stepping forward as if to face Lindsay unarmed. Gavin knew the police would be here any minute, but that wouldn't stop Lindsay from killing Michael on the spot. Seeing the gun holstered to the security guard's belt, he knew what to do.

He grabbed the gun, aiming a shot at Lindsay but missing miserably, the bullet ricocheting off a marble pillar metres above Lindsay and hitting the opposite wall. She spun round, immediately firing a bullet into his thigh.

"That was a warning shot. Next time I'll hit your head, and I won't miss."

Suddenly, there was another gunshot, and Gavin expected Michael to be dead, however it was Lindsay that was on the floor, blood pouring out of her shoulder.

People began to scream and run, the police sirens beginning to be heard. Gavin tried to put pressure on his wound but even the lightest touch sent pain coursing through his body.

All of a sudden Michael was there, kneeling next to him.

"Shit! Can you stand?"

"I've been shot in the bloody leg, what do you think?" Gavin shouted over the noise.

"Right, you're coming with me."

"No! I can't go with you!" Gavin protested, but Michael threw him over his shoulder, dodging people as they ran to the back of the building and away from the police, who were cornering RWBY. More gunshots could be heard, but Michael kept running towards a familiar black car.

 

Michael flung open the door, strangely gentle as he placed Gavin in the back seat, ignoring Griffon, who looked furious.

"Put pressure on it." Michael said, grabbing his hand and pushing down over the wound. Gavin screamed in pain and Michael slammed the door shut, the car taking off immediately.

There was a moment of silence before Griffon exploded.

"GAVIN DAVID FREE, WHAT THE ACTUAL _FUCK_ DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?!"


	10. Bullet Holes and Revelations

_Present Day_

 

"So that's why I'm here." Gavin finished, his explanation probably lacking in some detail, but overall pretty good considering Ryan was digging a bullet out of his leg.

"So that's why you're here in Los Santos, bleeding all over my carpet." Griffon seethed, still in her dress.

"Why Griffon, I thought you'd be more sympathetic." He said, wincing as Ryan had to move his leg.

"Sympathetic towards an idiot who got himself shot? Yeah, sure."

"No, sympathetic towards someone who just saved all of your lives. _And_ got half of RWBY arrested."

"Well now they have a solid reason to kill us in our sleep, dumb fuck!" Griffon shouted.

"We had to do something eventually. They were going to attack sooner than you thought. Did _you_ know they were gonna be there?"

"Wait... _we_?" Griffon said, her eyes narrowing. "You didn't even know I was in a gang, let alone that I made one."

"I've known much longer than you think Griffon. Do the words _reliable source_ ring a bell?"

It went quiet, then Geoff sat up, pointing towards Gavin with squinty eyes.

_"You."_

"Holy fuck, that was you!" Ryan said, pointing his bloody forceps at Gavin.

"Shit, Ryan, get those things away from my face, they were in my leg for God's sake. It would be real nice if you got onto fixing that." Ryan raised an eyebrow and carried on working.

"You were the asshole that sent Michael here, weren't you?" Geoff said, still not believing his ears.

"Well, someone who works for me did send him word, yeah."

Michael stayed silent, watching from the other side of the room as the realisation fully hit Geoff, who began to pace up and down. Everyone else ignored him, choosing to focus on Gavin instead.

"When did you find out, and how much do you know?" Griffon asked calmly. Gavin knew he was still in dangerous territory.

"I found out about...five weeks ago? And I pretty much know everything there is to know. I watched you as you pointed your guns at Michael, and Ray saw me see him when I was here a week ago, not to mention all the guns in the house. I mean, fucking cereal, Geoff! Really?" Geoff shrugged apologetically, even though he wasn't sorry at all.

"So you put on that whole act for two weeks?" Griffon said, standing up.

"Yes." Gavin said, not joking anymore.

"You lied to me?"

"I'm sorry about that, but you lied to me too."

"I lied to protect you!" Griffon shouted, and everyone froze.

"And I lied so you could carry on protecting me!" Gavin tried to stand up but Ryan stopped him, pushing him back down onto the couch to stop further damage to his leg.

"But you got shot!"

"Wait a bloody second, I don't even know _why_ I got shot." Gavin turned his head to Michael, who was still standing in the corner. "Michael, why the fuck did I get shot? Better yet, why was Lindsay Tuggey aiming a fucking gun at your head?!"

The room went silent, everyone except Ryan looking at Michael. The only noise in the room was the sickly squelching of Gavin's leg, along with his laboured breathing.

 

"I guess I better fill you guys in, huh."

"Yes!" Griffon, Gavin and Jack said in unison, the rest of the gang staying quiet.

"Me and Lindsay grew up in the same neighbourhood. We were best friends from the moment we could walk. Her family was quite high up in the local mafia, whereas my mom was a nurse and my dad was an electrician. I guess her father didn't like me from the get-go, but we still snuck out to meet each other, oftentimes just hanging out. My parents didn't approve of her; she was a troublemaker in school and her parents were in the mafia for God's sake. My mother didn't like her, but my dad convinced her that it was my business.

We managed to keep friends this way (and later on, maybe more than friends) until we were about 13 years old. Lindsay's parents were getting fed up of us hanging out. They must have done something to her, cause one day she completely flipped at me. I remember saying hi to her in the morning, putting my arm around her shoulders, and her beating the shit out of me. She broke my arm in two places, for fuck's sake, even though the day before we were riding our bikes, making jokes at how our parents would kill us if they knew what we were doing.

I was convinced they'd done something to her, and I still am. How can a person change that quickly, for Christ's sake? It's just not fucking possible." Michael finished, everyone staying quiet as they absorbed this, except for Ray, who spoke up.

"So that's why you only shot her in the shoulder!" He almost shouted. "You had the perfect shot, I knew there was something going on, I just didn't expect it to be because you had the hots for her."

" _Had_ the hots for her." He said, briefly glancing towards Gavin as Jack slapped Ray upside the head.

"Got it!" Ryan shouted, dropping the bullet into the metal tray he had by him. Not hearing anyone else react (apart from Gavin, who sighed with both relief and pain) he looked up, seeing everyone in different degrees of thought. "No? No one celebrating? Fine, have it your way."

From across the room, Ray perked up again, a huge shit-eating grin on his face. "Burger King!"

"Shut up, Ray!"

 

#

 

"How could you let this fucking happen? You had the perfect shot and you wasted it on that random idiot with the big nose!" Burnie shouted as he paced around the room, completely ignoring that Lindsay was in pain as Barbara fished around for the bullet embedded in her shoulder. "Mogar was right there, but you let your ego get in the way!"

Barbara fixed Lindsay with a look that seemed to say 'I told you so' but the redhead ignored it, clenching her jaw in pain.

"I told you I would take care of it, this is just a minor cock-up."

"We've had a few too many cock-ups, Tuggey!" He stepped closer, fury radiating off of him. "You have one last chance before I take over. I'd like to see you try and stop me when the time comes."

Barbara scowled as he left the room, leaving only the two women on the couch and Joel at his desk, transferring the money needed to bail out the rest of RWBY.

"If you dare say 'I told you so', Barbara, I'll fucking murder you."

"Nice to see you're still in good spirits." She replied, a small smile on her face.

"It's okay, I've got a plan. I know you don't think I can do this, but I can and I will. Just watch."

"I _have_ been watching, and it's getting to you."

"It won't be getting to me for long." Lindsay said through gritted teeth, the pain overwhelming, but she'd had worse. She had her parents to thank for that.

"That's what you said last time."

"Don't remind me. But this time, I'll get him for sure." Lindsay shifted and Barbara put a hand on her to steady her, sighing as she finally found the bullet.

"Got the bastard. Let me stitch you up and dress the wound, then you're free to go."

"Perfect. Hopefully the others will be out by then."

"I'm working on it." Joel said, furiously typing on his keyboard.

_'I'll get you this time Jones,' Lindsay thought, remembering her past 'once and for all.'_


	11. I Want You to Catch Me Like a Cold

_Present Day_

"Why can't I come with you? I can wait in the car." Gavin whined, fixing everyone a pleading look.

"What will you do if someone tries to steal the car?" Jack asked, loading his own pistol.

"I could have a gun."

"That's all we need. Another idiot with a gun." Griffon said, rolling her eyes.

"Remember what happened the last time you had a gun? Cause I do. I had to carry your sorry ass out of there." Michael said, making Gavin cross his arms in annoyance.

"Only because your crazy ex was trying to kill you."

"I fucking told you, she's not my ex!" Michael shouted. Ray laughed as he loaded his bright pink rifle.

"Someone sounds a little too defensive." Gavin said, enjoying making Michael angry. This was a game they'd been playing for the last couple of days, and Gavin had gotten very good at it.

"I could be out having fun with the rest of the guys, but instead I'm on babysitting duty to get you to your fucking apartment, so shut the fuck up or I might leave your crippled ass on the side of the street!"

"Settle down guys, settle down." Griffon sighed as she joined Geoff in loading clips with bullets. Ryan laughed.

"Yeah, settle down before you give us all a cavity, lovebirds." Everyone laughed as Michael blushed, turning towards Ryan.

"Shut the fuck up, Ryan. No one likes you."

"Why don't you two get back to Gavin's; we need you there before we set off." Griffon said, handing Michael a loaded pistol and motioning towards Gavin who was trying desperately to get off the couch by himself but failing miserably.

"Right, come on then you asshole." Michael said, heading to the door.

"Micoo, I can't get up." Gavin called, the mispronunciation of his name making Michael twitch with anger.

"Say my name properly you retarded fuck." He said watching as Gavin grinned, Geoff holding back laughter behind him.

"But I am saying it properly, Micoo."

"Say it one more time..." Michael fumed.

"But Micoo..." Gavin said with a mischievous grin, squealing as Michael came charging towards him.

"Come on then, you skinny British fuck!" Michael said as he picked him up bridal style, walking out the open door and slamming it behind him.

The living was room was silent and they could all hear Gavin's muffled laughter from outside.

"Gaaay!" Ray called out, making the room burst out laughing. Michael's anger was so monumental that they could hear him shout over all the noise.

"Shut the fuck up, Ray!"

 

#

 

Burnie stormed through the building, still not believing that their so-called 'leader' let this happen. How dare she run this gang into the ground? He'd been here longer than she had, and he deserved to be first in command, not her. Just cause her parents were big shots in the New York mafia doesn't mean shit here in Los Santos, where actions spoke louder than words did.

He passed Arryn in the corridor, not liking how she glared at him. The payback would come soon enough. Walking into his office, he signalled for Matt to come to his desk, sitting down in his chair.

"Matt, I need to know the exact moment Lindsay fucks up. I want it on film. I want to hear of it straight away so I can rub it in her face that she fucked up for the last time. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, sir." Matt said, nodding as he walked out of the room.

"You're going down, Tuggey." Burnie said to himself as he logged onto his computer, pulling up surveillance of the offices.

 

#

 

"Jesus Christ, you're annoying."

"You're not exactly the pinnacle of good company yourself." Gavin said, still grinning as Michael entered his apartment building. "Well, at least you'll be able to sit me down in the lift."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Michael said, making Gavin's head spin around.

"What? Oh, bloody hell." They both stared at the 'Out of Order' signs, Michael swearing under his breath. "Right, up we go." Gavin said, grinning again.

"You sound way too happy about that." Michael grumbled, turning to take the stairs.

"You certainly know how to please a lady, Michael, what these strong arms of yours." Gavin said, squishing one of Michael's biceps with his hands.

"Do that again and I'll fucking drop you."

"I doubt you will, Micoo." Gavin said, Michael's name turning into a high pitched squeal as Michael pretended to drop him. Gavin's hands clung to Michael's neck, and he enjoyed it for a moment before getting angry again.

"You're strangling me, you dick."

 

Twenty minutes later, Michael was beginning to rue the day he ever met Gavin Free.

"Why did you buy the fucking penthouse apartment?" He grunted, trying to keep Gavin supported and keep his legs moving at the same pace.

"Because it looked cool. You'll appreciate it once we get up there."

" _If_ we ever get up there, that is." Michael added, his breathing heavy.

"Are you sure you don't need a rest, Micoo?"

"Are you sure you shouldn't lose a few pounds, Gavin?"

Michael's breathing turned into wheezing when they finally got up to the final floor, Gavin letting out a cheer.

"Go Micoo!"

"Fucking shut up and open this fucking door." He tried to slow his breathing, lowering Gavin so he could put his key in the door. Once it was open, Michael dumped Gavin on the floor, ignoring Gavin shouting in pain. He closed the goddamn door, falling into a heap on the floor.

"She's beauty and she's grace, she's Miss United States." Gavin said, laughing as Michael told him to fuck off.

 

"I can't carry you again, Gav. It's not physically possible." Michael said once he got his breath back, watching as Gavin sat up awkwardly.

"Can you drag me by my arms, then?" Michael began to stand up to drag him, when Gavin started squealing again. "Jesus, Micoo, it was a joke. That would bloody hurt!"

"That's the point." Michael smirked.

"Didn't know you were into that, Micoo." Gavin said, grinning as Michael swore at him, his arms shaking as he lifted Gavin up again.

"Maybe I should do weight training with you. I could bench press you a couple of times."

"As long as you don't drop me, it's fine." Gavin said, Michael rolling his eyes as he set Gavin down on his chair in front of his desk. Michael sank down onto the couch, breathing a sigh of relief that his ordeal was finally over. As if reading his mind, Gavin turned to look at him from his chair.

"You know you have to take me all the way down again, right?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're sorry Burnie, we love you and we know you're an adorable bun please don't hate us <3


	12. Would You Stay the Night

_Present Day_

"Michael." Gavin said, shaking him by the shoulders lightly. He didn't want Michael to kill him when he woke up. "Micooooo! Time to wake up, Michael." No answer. Gavin's phone rang and he picked it up, still sitting on the floor in front of the couch.

"Hi Griff."

"Gavin, where are you? Is everything okay? You've been gone for hours." He could hear the worry in her voice and rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine but Michael's passed out. He got too tired carrying me up the stairs."

"I told you you're a fat piece of shit." Geoff said, and Gavin realised he was on speaker phone.

"Thanks Geoff, I appreciate it. But if one of you could come pick us up, that would be top, as I can't get up and Michael _won't_ get up."

"Nah, you're fine where you are." Gavin's mouth fell open, shocked at what Geoff said.

"Griffon, take pity, don't listen to your husband, please!"

"Fine. Jack and Ryan are on their way." Griffon sighed and hung up, leaving Gavin to wait. After waiting a couple of seconds, he got bored and sent Ryan a text saying _'are you here yet???'_

Suddenly, Michael began to squirm on the couch, a frown on his face. His hand moved up to his chest and curled into a fist.

"Michael? You awake boi?" Gavin asked, only to be answered by him tossing his head to the side and striking the couch with his fist. Gavin realised he was having a nightmare and carried on trying to wake him, more forceful this time. He shook Michael's leg but Michael only kicked out, hitting Gavin square in the face.

"Michael!"  He winced as his leg was twisted the wrong way when he fell from Michael's kick, dangerously close to the edge of the coffee table. The pain began to increase, his stitches probably torn open.

"I'm going to fucking bleed out here on the floor with no one to help me. Fuck." Gavin drew in a sharp breath, feeling the stickiness of his blood seeping through the bandage and the material of his jeans. "Shit. Michael!"

Michael thrashed again on the couch, knocking the phone even further out of Gavin's reach. "Michael, wake up! Wake up and help me, for God's sake!"

Michael mumbled something in his sleep and kept on moving, showing no indication that he'd heard Gavin.

"Michael! _Michael!_ "

 

#

 

_Michael carried on running through the house, the corridor seeming to stretch longer and longer._

_"Lindsay!" He shouted, almost screamed, as he heard her cries getting louder, but not seeing a door anywhere. His feet pounding against the expensive carpet, he rounded the corner, coming face to face with his best friend's parents, who began talking in a monotone._

_"You won't reach her in time."_

_"There's no way you can save her."_

_"You're not good enough."_

_"Bad influence."_

_"We told her not to see you anymore."_

_"But she just wouldn't agree."_

_"So we had to do something about it."_

_"It's your own fault if you think about it."_

_"You killed her."_

_"You murdered her."_

_"No!" Michael screamed, trying to run past them, but getting stopped by four strong hands, sharp fingers digging into him. He felt so small, so weak. Somewhere, Lindsay screamed. "Lindsay!"_

_"Michael!"_

_"Lindsay? Lindsay, I'm coming!" He fought back, but his punches kept glances off as if he were made of paper._

_"Michael!" The voice turned deeper. He recognized it from somewhere, but he just couldn't put his finger on it._

_"Michael! Wake up!"_

_"Michael?"_

_"Michael!"_

#

 

"Michael!" Jack shouted, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw Michael finally wake up, taking a deep breath, like he'd just surfaced after being underwater for too long. "Calm down buddy, you're safe. You're okay." Michael kept gulping down air, Jack letting him sit up. That's when he noticed the pool of blood on the floor in front of him.

"Where's Gavin? Gavin!?" He shouted, easily switching back into the panicked mindset of his nightmare. Jack put his hands on his shoulders, braking his gaze from the blood.

"Gavin's fine. He lost some blood but he's fine. Ryan's taking him down to the car right now." Jack said, and Michael took a deep breath, glad he wasn't dead. "We're going back to base. Want to come with?"

Michael took a moment before nodding and getting up, letting Jack lead him out of the apartment and back down the stairs.

 

#

 

"I'm going to die. I'm going to die, Ryan." Gavin moaned, half conscious as Ryan opened the car door and put him in the back seat.

"No you're not, I'm not going to let you die. Stop being melodramatic." He proceeded to cut away his jeans, wincing at how badly the stitches were torn. "Wow, Gav, you really did a number on these."

"I'm going to bleed out and die."

"For fuck's sake, Gavin, you're not going to die. Griffon would tear me in two if you died, not to mention Michael." Ryan replaced the old, soggy bandage with a pressure bandage to keep as much blood in him as possible, not letting his voice show how concerned he was.

"I'm actually going to die here, aren't I?"

"No, but you may have to go to hospital."

"I can't do that, I don't have insurance!" Gavin said, raising his voice as he threw his hands over his face, trying to sit up. Ryan quickly pushed him back down, wondering where the hell Jack was.

They needed to get to Caleb, and fast.

 

#

 

The journey to Caleb's place was a frantic one to say the least. Michael sat next to Gavin and kept him from falling asleep despite how much Gavin protested that he was tired. Ryan phoned ahead to tell Caleb to get ready to help Gavin or Griffon would personally tear him apart. Jack was stuck listening to all of this whilst he drove, trying to keep his cool.

"Dude what the hell happened to him?" Caleb asked Ryan as Michael got Gavin out of the car and into Caleb's place.

"Lindsay Tuggey happened to him."

"So why isn't he dead?" Caleb closed the door behind them, making sure to lead Michael through to a room at the back of the house.

"Because I was there." Michael said, worry etched into his features as he gently laid Gavin onto a table in the middle of the room. Caleb turned the lights on, putting a pair of latex gloves on.

"Well aren't you a big damn hero."

"Caleb, this isn't the time." Jack said, stationing himself by the windows.

"Fine. I'll get to work then, shall I?"

 

Caleb made quick work of removing the pressure bandage and tossing it into a bin across the room.

"Score!"

"Caleb, please." Ryan said, noting how Michael was watching Caleb's every move.

He carried on working, cleaning away the blood with water and then with antiseptic. Gavin cried out in pain, his hand reaching out for something to hold onto. Michael was there in an instant, and Caleb carried on working. The dried blood was slightly harder to get off but he managed to disinfect the wound, stitching it up again in no time. Gavin's blood seeped onto every surface, possibly ruining his shirt too as it slowly inched its way up the table.

Ryan quickly stepped in, grabbing some handtowels and mopping the blood up. Once Caleb finished stitching up the bullet wound, he moved to a refrigerator in the corner of the room, taking out two pouches of the blood type O- and wheeling an IV drip over and sticking the needle into a vein on top of Gavin's hand. Moving fast, he set up the pouches of O- up on the drip, watching with satisfaction as the blood began to enter Gavin's system.

"Okay, he should be alright now." Caleb said, peeling his gloves off and throwing them in the trash. Ryan washed his hands and nodded, flicking the water off his fingertips and shutting the tap off.

"Thanks, Caleb. That was a close one. You should receive your payment in the next couple of days, and we'll make sure to keep an eye out for you."

"I appreciate it. Tell Griffon I said hey."

"Will do."

"How long does he have to stay here?" Michael asked, still clutching Gavin's hand.

"He should wake up when he's feeling better. I'll give you guys a call -"

"I'm staying here with him." Michael interrupted Caleb, who looked at Ryan to check if that was okay. Ryan shrugged, Jack walking out of the room to get the car ready to go.

"See you later, Michael. We'll call to check up on you every hour." Ryan said before leaving, Caleb following him and flicking the big lights off. Michael and Gavin were left in the blue glow of the fluorescent lamp by the sink, Michael still holding onto Gavin's hand as if he were afraid he would disappear.

"You'll be alright, Gav." He said softly, reaching out to brush his hair back from his forehead. "I won't let anything happen to you, you're my boi."

 

 


	13. Mad as Rabbits

_1 Month Later - Present Day_

"Guys. Get out of there, the cops are coming!" Gavin said, yelling as he watched the CCTV of the area. Police cars sped through the screens, getting closer and closer to Fake AH Crew.

"Couldn't you have told us that two minutes ago, Gav?" Griffon asked, loading bags of money into the trunk. Gavin rolled his eyes and watched them speed up the operation, Geoff and Michael beginning to slowly back out of the bank.

"I didn't _know_ two minutes ago." Gavin focused on the surveillance of the bank and saw someone reaching for the panic button. "Guys, panic button, top right corner, man in blue suit." He heard rather than saw Geoff lose it at the guy, Michael placing the last of the explosives around the doors.

"We're set." He said, still pointing his gun as he stood up.

"Right, seriously, get the hell out of there." Gavin said, watching them get into the car. Jack sped off in the opposite direction just as the police rolled up with the their guns out. None of them noticed that the Crew was long gone by now, too focused on the immediate perimeter.

"Micoo, get ready to blow the doors when I say." Gavin watched as more policemen got to the doors, and before they could notice the explosives, Gavin shouted, "Now!" He felt the explosion from where he was, the strategically placed bombs reducing the front doors and the back door entirely to rubble. "Ladies and gentleman, no one is going anywhere for the foreseeable future." He said, hearing a cheer.

"Fuck yeah!"

"Ray, shut up, I need to drive." Jack said, and Gavin remembered that he still needed to send them the route he'd made. With the click of a button it was programmed into Jack's navigation system, and the tracker showed they were on the right route.

"I'm on my way back to the apartment, see you guys in ten minutes."

"Be careful, Gav. The police are out for our blood at the moment." Michael said through the earpiece, and Gavin couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"When am I ever not careful?" He heard the beginnings of multiple protestations from inside the car but ignored them. "Don't answer that."

Gavin walked out of his apartment, closing the door and walking up to the lifts.

"I'm about to lose you guys, but be careful."

"We will, don't worry about us." He heard Griffon say, taking his earpiece off as the elevator doors closed.

 

The past month they'd been putting together a multitude of heists, and now that they had more members, they could pull of bigger ones, like the bank and such. Gavin had become an official part of the team. His job was staying in his apartment and keeping an eye on everything, helping them out from the base, which had been convenient for his leg, which was now fully healed.

One thing did make Gavin nervous, however: RWBY hadn't made a move yet, which was surprising as they got half of them arrested a month ago. The rest of the Crew were happy with the absence of rivalry but Gavin was uneasy. They shouldn't be letting their guard down.

 

Stepping out of the elevator, Gavin walked across the lobby and out the front entrance, keeping an eye out for police. He put his earpiece back on just in case when he heard sirens further away.

"How we doing, guys?"

"We're waiting for you to get your ass back here, you skinny prick." Michael said, and Gavin walked faster, getting closer to his purple bike.

"I'm not gonna come back if you treat me like _that_ , Micoo."

"I told you not to call me that, asshole."

Gavin sat on his bike, putting the key in the ignition and revving it up.

"Don't kill yourself, Gavin." Griffon sighed as she heard what he was doing.

"But it's quicker than walking!" He protested, pulling onto the road.

"You're a fucking idiot." Michael said as he started driving, barely gaining speed before he had to stop again. He rolled into the side alley where Ryan kept his bike, parking it just so that Ryan couldn't get his bike out without Gavin moving his.

"Why are you laughing?" Ray asked, which only made Gavin laugh more.

"Nothing." Gavin said with a cheerful tone, walking to the elevators and getting in.

"I don't trust him."

"Not like anyone trusts _you,_ Ryan."

"You better not have done anything to my damn bike." Ryan said, his voice getting menacing, Gavin laughing harder.

"Ryan, if you're gonna beat him up, please let me help, or at least watch." Michael said gleefully. Ryan stayed silent and Michael laughed. "You better watch your fucking back, Gavin."

"Guys, come on. I was joking!" Gavin said, panicking as nobody answered him. "Fuck. I'm gonna get absolutely mullered."

The elevator doors opened, Gavin hesitantly stepping out. The hallway was empty. He walked up to the front door, quietly slipping his key into the lock. Opening the door, he peeked round the corner, seeing nobody but Griffon leaning against the side in the kitchen, holding a glass of whiskey.

"Oh, goodness." She sighed, and Gavin was about to ask why when he got tackled to the floor. He squealed, trying to get away.

"What did you do to my fucking bike, Gavin?" He heard Ryan say, feeling somebody's hands playfully closing around his neck. Shouting, he tried to kick out but felt someone sitting on his legs.

"Ryan, you mingy prick, I haven't done much!"

"Neither have I, not yet." Ryan said, and he heard Michael laugh.

"Alright guys, you've had your fun. Let him up, we've got shit to do." They heard Griffon say, Gavin feeling Ryan and Michael get off him. "Ray, put that goddamn camera away." Gavin tried to get up but failed, flinching when Michael lowered a hand.

"Want a hand, buddy?"

"Yeah, thanks Micoo." Gavin said, beginning to be pulled up. Suddenly Michael let him go again, pushing him back down to the floor.

"Told you not to call me that, dickhead." Michael began walking away but felt a grip on his ankle, turning around to see Gavin clinging onto him.

"Don't leave me, Micoo!"

"Shut the fuck up, dumbass!" Michael tried to loosen his grip, but Gavin was too persistent.

"You know you want to help me, Micoo!"

"That's it, you fucker." Michael yelled as he jumped on him, throwing weak punches. Everyone else rolled their eyes, but otherwise ignored their usual behaviour in favour of counting the money. Ray took a bunch of money and threw it over the two idiots play-fighting on the floor.

"Make it rain!"

"Shut the fuck up Ray, before I beat you up too!"

 

 


	14. I Never Meant to Fall for You

_Present Day_

"Sure you don't want to come with, Michael?" Geoff asked, holstering his gun.

"Nah, I'm not feeling up to it today. I'd just get in the way anyhow, it's a small one. Don't need that many people." Michael said as he began walking out the door after Gavin, waving goodbye.

"See ya buddy." Geoff said, Ryan and Jack nodding at him.

"Have fun, boys." Griffon called, winking at Michael before he closed the door, hiding his blush.

 _'Shit, am I that obvious?'_ Michael thought as he followed Gavin into the elevator.

It was an awkward ride down as they didn't talk at all, Gavin probably thinking something was wrong while Michael looked like he was sulking, a frown on his face and his arms crossed. They walked to Gavin's bike together, Gavin's steps light as he climbed on.

"Right, get on the back and hold on, Micoo. Don't want you falling off now, do we?" He said, watching Michael get on, hesitantly putting an arm around his waist.

"Like I'd fall off." Michael scoffed, trying not to smile as Gavin reached round and grabbed his other arm, putting it firmly around his waist.

"Hold on tight." Gavin smiled as he accelerated, thinking how much he liked the contact. He couldn't help but lean back into it slightly as he felt Michael bury his face into his back.

Even through the short drive, Michael didn't realise how nerve wracking it was to be a passenger on a bike, not being able to see where they were going unless he leaned away from Gavin, which he didn't want to do. If he was being completely honest, Gavin smelled great, and he was going to make the most of this.

 

When Gavin pulled up in the alley next to his apartment building, he let Michael get off first, laughing as he walked shaky-legged to the side door.

"Aww, is Micoo afraid of motorbikes?"

"No, only afraid of your fucking reckless driving." Michael glared at him as he put on a shocked expression, getting off his bike.

"That hurt my feelings, Micoo, but I'm willing to forgive you." Gavin opened the side entrance, waiting until Michael was inside to shut it again.

Michael pressed the button for the elevator, both of them waiting side by side as they stood in the lobby. When it came, they got in, Gavin pressing the button for the penthouse. The doors closed but they stayed silent. Gavin tapped his foot, Michael twiddled his thumbs, Gavin fiddled with the zip on his hoodie, Michael crossed his arms.

 _'Is he okay? He's not talking much. Did the motorbike ride put him off? I should probably drive more carefully when we go back.'_ Gavin thought, running a hand through his hair.

 _'I wish he'd stop fucking doing that, it makes me want to touch his hair myself. If I did that, I'd never hear the end of it. From anyone. Fuck, you haven't been hung up on someone like this since Lindsay. Great, now you're moping, fucking perfect.'_ Michael rolled his eyes and shuffled his feet.

The elevator pinged as it reached their floor, the doors sliding open allowing them to walk out.

"Micoo, you alright? You look a bit minged off." Gavin said, glancing at Michael as he opened his door. Michael shrugged, nodding a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine Gav."

 

Michael sank down onto the couch while Gavin sat down in his chair, cracking his knuckles and switching on all of his equipment.

"Ready to go, Griff?" Gavin asked as soon as he put his earpiece in, leaning forward and typing on his keyboard. Michael saw the local CCTV appear on a screen, and was impressed at how fast Gav found Fake AH Crew and sent them a route.

Michael decided not to bother him as he worked, but rather to watch the concentrated look on his face, smiling when Gavin pouted at something and thanked Geoff for something. He watched him for what seemed like hours, his eyes absorbing his every movement, enjoying watching Gavin for this long, uninterrupted.

 _'Fuck, I've got it bad.'_ He thought, watching as Gavin laughed at something. Gavin leaned back in his chair, only hearing the loud snap when he was halfway to the floor. Michael jumped up, catching him before he hit his head.

"Thanks, Micoo." Gavin laughed, getting up.

"You fucking moron."

"Seriously, thanks. I doubt Griffon would like me having a concussion today." Gavin stopped for a moment, sharing prolonged eye contact, when suddenly he rolled his eyes. "Everything's fine, Geoff. I kind of broke my chair a little and Michael had to stop me from dying. Again." Here he winked at the other man, who rolled his eyes and went to look for another chair for Gavin to sit on.

 

Turns out Gavin's apartment wasn't as furnished as it could be, with the only other room that had anything at all inside it was the main bedroom. Even that only had a bed and an empty nightstand. Michael considered getting Gav the nightstand to sit on, but it was just as likely to break, if not even more likely.

 _'I'm gonna have to push the fucking couch, aren't I?'_ Michael thought, sighing in frustration as he walked back into the living room to find Gavin kneeling on the floor like nothing had happened.

"Gav, stand up for a minute."

"But I'm busy."

"Now, Gavin." Michael ignored his protests as he pushed the couch over, angling it to face the desk.

"Micoo, you don't have anywhere to sit now." Gavin pouted, flopping onto the piece of furniture. Michael rolled his eyes and sat down next to him, pushing him over.

"It's still a fucking couch, Gavin. It hasn't morphed into a chair. Besides, who doesn't have any furniture in their fucking apartment? How long have you been living here now?"

"Well, I do have a bed." Gavin smirked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

 _'I wish.'_ Michael thought, rolling his eyes and leaning back as Gavin yelled at Geoff.

"Geoff, I'm not flirting, for Pete's sake! I'm just stating the obvious!" Gavin turned to Michael, winking before carrying on typing.

 

Michael didn't have long to wait before the guys had finished, Gavin sending them the easiest route back home. He decided to ask Gavin something.

"Hey, Gavin?"

"Yeah?" Gavin turned to him, taking his earpiece out and switching it off.

"Would you..." He began, clearing his throat.

_'Get your shit together, you're Mogar for fuck's sake.'_

"Would you like to go out for a drink tonight?"

"I'd love to, but I have stuff to do. Sorry, Micoo." Michael tried to hide his disappointment.

"Nah, that's fine."

"Griffon's on my ass about some stuff, she said I had to meet her tonight. You know how Griffon gets with these things." Gavin lied, his brain trying to process the fact that _Michael just asked him out._

"Yeah." Michael said, making an effort to shrug. "Well, if you change your mind, or if she lets you go early, I'll be down at Geoff's favourite bar tonight."

 

#

 

Michael slammed the door to his car, locking it while trying to swallow the disappointment. He knew hadn't been rejected, but it sure felt like it. Pulling his jacket closer around him, he walked into the bar, making a beeline for the barman. He leaned on the bar and ordered a whisky, turning his head to look at the people in the bar. His eyes skimmed over the booths in the back, coming to rest on a redhead who looked familiar. His eyes widened as he realised who the hell it was, his hand hovering over his gun. Lindsay Tuggey was in this goddamn bar on the same night he was going to take Gavin here.

 _'Thank God he had stuff to deal with, or else we'd be dead by now.'_   Michael picked up his drink and walked over to her, sitting down, making sure she could see his hands. Her head snapped up, her face contorted with rage as she drew her gun, pressing it to his leg under the table. Michael did the same to her, making sure they were on even ground.

"How 'bout we sit here nicely, have a quiet talk, and not get kicked out of this goddamn bar." Michael said, watching Lindsay assessed the situation.

"Deal." She drew her gun away, taking a sip of her drink. Michael put his glass down on the table, the ice cubes in his whisky rattling slightly.

"Fancy seeing you here." He smirked, taking a drink.

"Cut the crap. What do you want?"

"I was wondering what you wanted. I was gonna bring someone here tonight and you just happened to be here, so what's the deal?"

"I haven't been tracking your every move, if that's what you mean. I'm not obsessed with you." Lindsay narrowed her eyes, watching as Michael easily fell back into their old conversation style.

 _'I can make this work for me.'_ Lindsay thought, making herself roll her eyes at a dumb joke Michael told.

"So, what happened to your date?"

"He was busy. Didn't realise he had some work to do."

"He? Did I put you off women that much?"

"You weren't much of a lady in the first place." Michael said shrugging playfully, downing his drink and getting up for another. When he got back, he bought Lindsay a drink too, Lindsay putting on a smile, as genuine-looking as she could manage.

 

#

 

Gavin still hadn't left the apartment, but he had changed what he was doing. He had all focus on the CCTV of the bar, watching as Michael made Lindsay laugh.

"This can't be happening. She wouldn't do this." He watched as Michael downed his drink, getting more tipsy. He couldn't believe this.

"You're getting drunk in front of the leader of RWBY? Nice going, you absolute mug." Gavin sighed, watching as Michael went up to get them another drink. He watched Lindsay pour her drink into a plant pot next to her and immediately became suspicious. What reason would she have for not drinking?

If she was keeping a clear head and Michael wasn't, Gavin could see that that only meant trouble.

_'Griffon won't let me interfere until I have concrete proof she's plotting something.'_ Gavin thought, sickened by how Lindsay put her hand on top of Michael's and smiled at him. He then watched as Lindsay pointed at something across the bar, smiling, but it seemed like Michael couldn't quite see it so he stood up, peering over the room. She took this moment to quickly pour something into his glass, using a finger to stir it.

Gavin couldn't believe his eyes:

1\. Michael was so drunk that he turned away from _Lindsay Tuggey_

2\. Michael had left his drink unattended in front of the very same _Lindsay Tuggey_

 

Gavin took off, grabbing his keys from the side. Shutting his door, he impatiently for the elevator, nervously tapping his foot as it came up. He looked down to the screen belonging to the trackers and saw that Michael's was staying exactly where it was. Good.

Once he got to his bike, he immediately took off, revving the engine with more force than necessary. He didn't even bother with a helmet as he sped towards the bar, weaving around the traffic in his hurry. He drove through several red lights, his mind only on Michael and that drink.

_'I sure as shit hope he hasn't taken a sip of that. But who am I kidding? It's Michael and it's a drink. He's nearly as bad as Geoff.'_

Arriving at the bar, he kicked down the stand for his bike and ran inside, going to the corner booth where Michael and Lindsay sat laughing. Well, Michael was laughing, the glass in his hand empty. Lindsay looked ready to slaughter him but he didn't seem to pick up on that.

"Michael?"

"Gav, my boi, you made it!" Michael shouted, deliriously happy.

"So this is the date?" Lindsay locked eyes with Gavin, recognising him. "You're that bastard who tried to shoot me!"

"And you're the bitch who actually did shoot me."

"Yeah, how is that by the way?" Lindsay asked, ignoring Michael's giddy laughter.

"Fine, by the way. What did you put in Michael's drink?"

"Nothing really." Lindsay shrugged.

"I know he wouldn't be in this state from two bevs."

"What do you know? You're just the date who never showed up."

"Oooh," Michael said, swaying slightly. "Shots fired!" Gavin narrowed his eyes at Lindsay, who lifted an eyebrow, waiting for his next move.

"Come on Michael, we have to go." Gavin grabbed Michael and pulled him up, a little too rough but they had to get out of there as soon as possible. To his relief, Michael could still stand, even if his legs were a little unsteady. "You're a little bevved up, I'm gonna take you home now, okay?"

"Yeah, take me home, Gavin." Michael winked, making Gavin sigh. They began to walk out, Lindsay giving them a sarcastic wave as they went out the doors.

"Can you hold onto me while I drive you to my place?"

"Oh I can hold you aall night, baby." Michael slurred, moving closer as Gavin tugged him towards the bike. Gavin rolled his eyes and tried to manoeuvre Michael into a sitting position.

"Right Michael, I need you to get your leg over this."

"Yeah, I can get my leg over." Michael said confidently, Gavin stopping him from falling off the back. He got on, grabbing Michael's arms and putting them around his waist.

"Hold on very tightly, alright? Don't let go whatever you do."

"Not planning to, Gavvy wavvy." Michael said as he hugged Gavin from behind, his arms tight around the other man. Gavin blushed slightly as Michael snuggled into his back and started the bike, heading over to his apartment. He drove slower this time, not wanting to lose the drugged Michael off the back.

 

When they got there, Gavin carefully parked the bike and pulled Michael into the lobby and into the elevator, hitting the button for the top floor. At this point, Michael's eyes were hooded and he was looking very sleepy.

"Gav, I wanna go bed."

"You can sleep once we get up there and I call Ryan."

"No, silly, I want to sleep with _you_." Michael said, poking him in the cheek and smiling.

"You don't know what you're saying Michael, you need rest." Gavin said, stepping away as Michael tried to take his jacket off.

"I know _exactly_ what I'm saying." Michael slurred, cornering Gavin. The other man grabbed Michael's hands and pushed him away, relieved when they got to the top floor.

"Come on, Michael." Gavin walked to his door, trying to put his key in the lock but failing because Michael was still trying to take his jacket off. "Michael, no. I need to get the door open." Michael mumbled something Gavin couldn't understand while Gavin managed to get the door open, only to be pushed more violently than he expected. Michael slammed the door, advancing on Gavin who was looking like a deer in headlights.

"Michael, I'm just going to make a call, okay?" Gavin said, trying to stand his ground. "I need you to stay right there." He held a hand out but Michael, slapped it aside, arms reaching out for him with a hungry look in his eyes. Gavin stepped backwards again, nearly tripping over a stray wire as lunged for him.

"Let me make a call, okay?" Gavin said, his eyes franticly searching for a way out. As much as he would love to let Michael carry out his plans, it wasn't exactly fair since one of them was drugged. Gavin saw the bathroom and made a run for it, locking himself in. "One moment, Michael!" He shouted through the door when he heard a high-pitched 'Gavin? Let me in!'

 

Gavin fumbled with his phone, leaning against the door as he tried to call Ryan. He hit the dial button and was immensely grateful that he decided to pick up this time.

"What do you want?"

"Ryan! Thank God. Listen I may need your help. Slightly." Gavin said, feeling Michael banging on the door.

"Gavin what the fuck is that noise?"

"It may or may not be Michael." Gavin winced at his back slamming against the door as Michael continued trying to get in whilst wailing his name.

"What the hell happened to him?"

"Lindsay may have drugged him."

"I don't even want to know how that happened. Michael can explain that to Griffon later, if he even remembers anything."

"Can you come?"

"Sorry man. Griffon sees all, and she'd absolutely murder Michael, drugged or not. Not to mention you for not telling her."

"Okay, so we keep this between -"

"No. Gavin, I'm not getting into your shit. I don't know this. You didn't call me. Goodbye." Ryan hung up, and Gavin gulped, bracing him for what was behind the door.

 

Gavin turned the lock, and to his surprise the door didn't burst open into his face.

"Michael?" He asked tentatively, opening the door to find him in a heap on the floor in front of him. "For fuck's sake, Micoo."

Gavin picked him up by his arms, struggling to drag him to the bedroom. It took him longer than he thought to get him all the way there and up onto the bed, but he made it. He sighed as he took his shoes off, throwing them in the corner of the room. Propping Michael up against the headboard, he peeled the jacket off of him, chucking that with the shoes. He tucked him in and was about to leave when he felt a hand on his jacket.

"Gav...stay." Michael mumbled into the pillow.

Sighing, Gavin took his own shoes and jacket off and climbed in, smiling fondly when Michael wrapped Gavin around him.

"Who knew you were the little spoon?" Gavin teased, running a hand through Michael's curls.

"Shut up." Michael growled into the pillow, falling asleep almost immediately.

 

 


	15. Everything Falls Into Place

_Present Day_

"You fucked up for the last time, Lindsay." Burnie said, smirking as she looked uncomfortable. Everyone else could feel the shift of power in the room as he began to take control.

"What could I do? I couldn't shoot that British idiot again, not in a public place. I thought you wouldn't want me making a scene."

"I thought you didn't care what I thought."

"And I thought you'd have enough backbone to take care of Fake AH Crew by now. Obviously I was mistaken."

"I didn't make any promises, unlike you." Burnie fumed, stepping closer to Lindsay. She drew herself up to her full height and looked him in the eye.

"This is my gang. I won't let you take control."

"Let's see what everyone else has to say about this."

"I already know what they're going to say."

"Oh? So confident in your leadership skills?" Burnie crossed his arms but his smile left his face when he heard what Lindsay had to say.

"You've done nothing but bully everyone since you came into this goddamn gang. I should've put a stop to you long ago. I guess I hoped you'd change. But dicks will always be dicks." Lindsay spat, walking out of the room. She could feel Barbara wanting to come with her, but she understood why she didn't. She simply couldn't without putting herself in danger.

 

Now gang-less and without protection, Lindsay realised her days were numbered. She'd eventually be killed by RWBY, Fake AH Crew or even a smaller gang in LS, no matter how well she hid. They would always find her.

Walking out of the building, she smashed her phone, earpiece and everything else RWBY could possibly track her by, using her credit card for one last transaction in a clothes store. Emptying her account, she checked into a motel on the other side of the city with her cash and dumped her old clothes in the dumpster. She considered buying some hair dye but decided against it, thinking that she was going to die anyway, so she might as well die looking like herself.

 

#

 

Michael woke up, his head pounding. He didn't want to open his eyes, fearing that his curtains would still be open, like he undoubtedly left them last night. However, he knew he had to do it sometime, so he opened his eyes.

Safe to say he was a little shocked.

A sleeping Gavin Free was inches from his face, his fair sticking up in all directions. His mouth was slightly open, a hand curled around Michael's waist, their feet tangled together in the sheets.

 _'Shit, what the fuck happened last night?'_ Michael thought, panicking as he desperately tried to remember what the hell happened the night previous, drawing up a blank. He couldn't deny that it was nice having his British idiot in bed next to him...wait. He glanced down, breathing out a quiet sigh of relief that they both still had clothes on.

 _'I need to get out of here.'_ He thought to himself, slowly pulling out his dead arm from underneath Gavin. He shifted in his sleep and Michael froze. He'd never live this down if Gavin woke up then. Waiting a couple of seconds, he untangled their legs, slipping out from under the covers.

 _'I'm such an asshole.'_ He thought, tucking the duvet around Gavin again. Feeling awful both emotionally and physically, he pressed a gentle kiss to Gavin's head, shutting his eyes for a moment, wishing he knew what had happened last night.

"Sorry, Gav." He whispered as he left the room, grabbing his shoes and jacket on the way out. He padded out of the apartment and closed the door quietly, hoping Gavin would forgive him for whatever he did (or didn't) do.

 

#

 

Michael entered the Ramseys' penthouse, shutting the door behind him. It was strangely quiet in there, so he figured they must be out getting food. But all the same, he had a hand on his gun as he walked through the apartment, as it was eerily quiet. Ryan scared the living shit out of him when he popped around the door.

"Hey, Michael."

Michael lowered his gun and sighed. "Jeez, you could give somebody a fucking heart attack by doing that, Ryan." Ryan shrugged and flopped down onto the couch.

"So, how was last night for you, Michael?" Ryan said innocently, making Michael freeze.

"Tell me everything you know."

"Well, from what Gavin told me last night..." He paused, enjoying making Michael squirm. "You were drugged."

"Drugged?! Who the fuck by?" Michael shouted, outraged.

"Lindsay Tuggey, after you decided to have a nice drink with her." Ryan said, his gaze turning into steel.

"What the fuck?" Michael said to himself, staying standing as Ryan stood up and advanced on him, taking his gun out and putting it under Michael's chin.

"How long have you been in league with RWBY?" Ryan smiled, Michael's hands trying to get his gun out but being stopped by Ryan, who grabbed both his wrists and pinned them above his head, backing him up against a wall.

"Ryan, I swear I have nothing to do with RWBY." The cold metal pushed his head back against the wall, making Michael close his eyes.

"No, look at me Jones. You can tell me. We're practically best friends." Ryan grinned sadistically, scaring Michael more than any weapon would.

 

"Micoo!" They both heard Gavin shout as he bounded into the apartment, out of breath as he tried to tear Ryan away from Michael.

"Gavin, stay back." He said, his voice too light to be holding a gun to someone's throat. Michael swallowed back a shout as Gavin persisted and got elbowed in the jaw by Ryan, sending him straight to the floor. "You don't know what you're dealing with, Gavin." He said slowly, as if he were talking to a child.

"Don't talk to him like that." Michael growled, the grip on his wrists tightening as Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"You're not in any position to be making requests right now, Michael."

"Ryan! He's still loyal to this gang, _you_ don't know what you're handling right now!" Gavin shouted, rubbing his jaw as he sat up. Ryan was silent for a moment, and Gavin carried on. "He wasn't at the bar to meet Lindsay, it was a total coincidence!"

"How would you know who he was meeting at the bar?" Ryan asked, his face hard.

"Because he was there to meet me, you plonker!" Gavin shouted, getting up again. "I turned him down because I was too scared, and I watched him like a creep through the bar surveillance to make sure he didn't drink himself into oblivion and get in trouble." Ryan stopped to process this, and then he gave them a genuine smile.

"Well, I'll leave this business to you then." He stepped away and let Michael go, Gavin nodding.

"Wait a fucking minute... _you_ were scared?" Michael erupted, stepping towards Gavin.

"What?" He squeaked, stepping backwards. Michael caught him by the arm.

"I was fucking terrified to ask you out, but then you turn me down because you're fucking chicken? Gavin. You're meant to meet me halfway here!"

Ryan quietly backed away, picking up his keys and jacket from the side. They ignored him as he left the apartment and quietly shut the door.

"I don't know that, do I? I've never had a proper relationship before!"

"Even you and your one brain cell could fucking figure it out!"

Ryan walked down the corridor, hearing Gavin's usual squealing followed by a thump and a shout of, "Micoo!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the positive comments and kudos guys, we really appreciate it! <3  
> It's been really hard to write this in the few short days we've had to write it, but we're nearly finished. Also, we're sorry (you'll see why). x

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! x


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